October 31, 2009

This week's Photo Hunt theme is bags. I was tempted to post a pic from the end of our recent cruise - all of the bags lined up by deck number, and everyone racing to grab them at the same time. I'll just save that one for the theme of chaos.

Instead I am posting a pic showing the result of 1 hour at an outlet mall. This is from our first trip to Paso Robles to get together with the slow travel gang. We flew into San Francisco, picked up the car, and popped into the Gilroy outlets on the way south.

We are power shoppers; it doesn't take us long to size up a store, grab what we want/need (because it isn't often the same *smile*), and be on our way to the next store. It is because of this well honed skill that we can amass this many bags over the course of a short hour!

Lots of the slow travel community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below.

October 30, 2009

The media would have us gather our family and hide in the basement with the hysteria they are promoting. No doubt some folk are.

We have all seen ads like this on TV:

Well. I don't much care for the damn sleeve sneeze! The other day I had a cold. I sneezed into my sleeve and almost threw up when I saw what was deposited there. (EWWWWWWWWW). I did the world a favour and changed my shirt.

Wouldn't you know I sneezed again!

That shirt also had to go.

In the end I changed my shirt FOUR times before I gave up.

I get not sneezing into my hand. Can't I go back to my kleenex? I don't think I can afford the dry cleaning charges!

October 29, 2009

It will be no surprise at all to anyone who has read this blog for more than a month or so that we love 'Mexican' food around here. If you're wondering why the quotations it is because of the fact that so much of what we think of as Mexican food isn't traditional at all. Nonetheless, it is likely to appear at our dinner table.

I saw this stew on Simply Recipes a month ago. Immediately I was smitten because it had so many of the fresh flavours we love about Mexican food - roasted tomatillos, jalapenos, and cilantro. YUM

I still hadn't used up the huge basket of tomatillos and peppers that I bought at the market so this seemed to be the perfect thing. Essentially this is a dry chicken saute to which you add an amazing fresh tasting sauce made from roasted tomatillos. This bubbles away on the stove filling the house full of tantalizing flavours for about 20 minutes.

Note: you can adjust the heat by leaving in the seeds of the jalapenos (HOT) or removing them and discarding them (less hot) prior to adding them. Of course, we leave the seeds in!

I served this over a Mexican rice dish I made from white rice, roasted corn, roasted poblano peppers, and sauteed onions. You certainly don't need to go to that trouble but the result was amazing!

If you're in the same situation I was and have an excess of tomatillos to use up you should give this one a try!

Make the tomatillo sauce. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Broil for 5-7 minutes until blackened in spots. Let cool enough to handle. Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended. If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, and adding more olive oil when necessary, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side. Then use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over and don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits at the bottom of the pan.

Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil if needed (likely). Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.

Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add the cilantro to the stew in the last minute or so of cooking.

Serve over white rice, accompanied with sour cream if needed to offset the heat from the chiles. The stew will thicken as it cools.

October 28, 2009

We have been talking about getting another cat for some time. It wasn't long after Victor died that we realized Beckett was terribly lonely while we were away. It didn't matter if we were going to Greece, the office for the day, or out for a walk, he just did not enjoy being on his own.

Last weekend I was checking out the website for the local animal shelter where I found a picture of this guy. This is what the description said:

Dante is a sweet 1 to 2-year-old long haired orange tabby and white neutered male. This big, beautiful boy is very friendly and affectionate. He loves to meet everyone who comes in the room, chirping away whenever you talk to him. Dante is a great boy who still loves to play and chase toys and once he is done he loves to find a perch in the window where he can look out and watch the world go by. He is a wonderful young cat who is gentle and sweet and all that an orange tabby could be and more. Dante would love to have his forever family come in soon so that he can go home and settle in as a new member as soon as possible.

A wee bit hokey but still, he sounded like a good companion for Beckett.

This morning I was off work for a doctor appointment. I told Paul that I would stop by the animal shelter and get Dante. I don't think that he believed me because he was shocked to find another cat in the house when he returned from work.

So how do he and Beckett get along?

Well, they appear to tolerate one another - a good first step. In time they may even get friendly.

October 27, 2009

I've been away since Sunday for work. It has been a hectic but rewarding few days. I am amazed how lucky I am to work with some amazing colleagues who give of their time over and over again. It is such fun to run programs like this - even though it seems like work, it really is fun.

Generally when I've been away I try and plan a meal of 'comfort food' for when I return. Being away from the ones you love is a challenge so it is nice to return home in so many different ways. I decided on this past dish because it would help us use up a huge leftover ham that we made on the weekend (to satisfy Paul's craving for a ham dinner).

This recipe was from the food and wine web site. You'll be surprised how easy it is to make this creamy tomato sauce that is so popular in many North American 'Italian' restaurants. If you prefer, you could replace the cheese tortellini with a meat-filled pasta of any shape. You could also replace the cooked ham with cooked chicken breast or some other protein.

Be very clear, there is NOTHING low-fat about this dish. I could have tried making it low-fat but I couldn't be bothered. LOL I can worry about that tomorrow.

It was a great 'welcome home' dish. We both felt that it was worthy of a return to the 'menu rotation' in the near future.

If you're looking for some delicious comfort food that comes together in a short time, this might be the thing for you.

In a large stainless-steel frying pan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, the salt, and the pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream and cook for 1 minute longer.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until just done, about 4 minutes for fresh, 12 minutes for frozen. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Stir in the ham and peas and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.

October 26, 2009

It was a shock to the system to get off of the plane in Toronto last week. We were used to 30 degrees and sun after being in Greece for two weeks. The weather back home was decidedly more cool and crisp.

On Sunday Paul and I went for a walk, this is what we saw . . .

It's time to back away the shorts and t-shirts for another year. *sigh*

October 25, 2009

The Sunday Slow Cooks are a group of cooks from the slow travel community message board. We have been bakers,scoopers, soupers, and tossers (yes, I know that is a derogatory term in some parts of the world ! LOL).

Now we have taken on a new challenge - instead of each of us preparing the same recipe each week, we are preparing our own appetizer - or Small Bite - that uses a specific main ingredient. So far we have tackled shrimp, crab, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese, smoked salmon, and pecans. It boggles the mind to think that we have been at this for eight weeks already!

This week Deborah selected pumpkin as the ingredient of the week. How festive, just in time for Halloween! I wondered a good deal about what to make. Generally when I've eaten pumpkin before it has been in a pie, muffin, cake, cheesecake, soup, or pasta. Lots of those just wouldn't work as an appetizer - not in my world anyway, and the others (soup and ravioli) I have already made before. One of the 'rules' about the small bites is one has to attempt something that they have never made before. This was going to be a challenge!

I decided to make a non-fried version of pumpkin fritters. I had no idea if I'd like them or not but just went with the recipe because it sounded interesting. They were really good, the entire plater was eaten while our guests were sipping Orchard Martinis in front of the fireplace last night. . . . a perfect fall evening!

Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook 2 minutes until softened, then stir in the chopped sage, and cook 2 more minutes. Scrape into a large bowl, and stir in the pumpkin puree, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, and black pepper until combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place onto the greased baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until firm and hot, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the frying oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and add the sage leaves. Fry until the bubbles begin to subside and the leaves are crispy. Remove the leaves, and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Prepare the dipping sauce by stirring together the sour cream, whipping cream, sugar, and balsamic vinegar until smooth.

To serve, sprinkle the pumpkin balls with fried sage leaves, and sea salt. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side.

October 24, 2009

This week's Photo Hunt theme is tied. The first thing that I could think of was our recent cruise of the Greek islands. There was a whole lot of tying being done there every time the boat docked at a port. We would often go to the deck and watch the crew handle those huge rope that were as thick as their arms.

This is a pic of the cruise ships tied up in the harbour of the famous Greek island of Santorini. Santorini is famous because it is thought to be the basis for the story of Atlantis. The entire harbour you see here was once a part of a large, volcanic island. 3600 years one of the largest volcanic eruptions ever recorded took place and literally blew out the centre of the island leading to the destruction of the advanced Minoian civilization on the island.

This picture gives you a sense of the magnitude of that explosion. Essentially the entire centre of the island was blown away. You can see the size of the cliff compared to the waterline with the remaining surface of the island about 1000 feet above.

Lots of the slow travel community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below.

October 23, 2009

Surely everyone has had breaded pork chops before. Lord knows they were a weekly staple in my house while I was growing up. Here the old favourite is taking to a new level with the addition of lemon and oregano. The cooked chop is then paired with a zesty aioli.

The result?

I shall quote Paolo . . . 'I think that these may be the best pork chops that I have ever eaten!'

You can't beat praise like that.

The recipe comes to us from Cuisine at Home's publication "Weeknight Menus".This magazine/cookbook features numerous weeknight menus that are short on preparation work and loooong on flavour.

If you're looking to change things up a bit around your house, give these delicious chops a try.

Combine bread crumbs, oregano, salt, pepper, and zest in a shallow dish. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice for the aioli. Place the remaining lemon juice in another shallow dish. Dip the pork chops in the lemon juice, then into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the breading into both sides of the pork.

Heat the oil in an oven proof saute pan over medium heat. Saute pork chops on one side until brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Flip pork chops.

Roast chops, uncovered, in the saute pan until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

October 22, 2009

There was no doubt that fall had arrived in full force when we arrived home from Greece. Fall is my favourite season - the temperature is cooler, change is in the air, the leaves turn bright colours . . . there is nothing like fall walks in the woods under a bright blue sky. Ahh

I start craving different foods once fall shows its face. Soon pots of stews and soups are bubbling away on the stove. Casseroles and roasts cook in the oven, filling the house with good smells. Another favourite fall smell is the baking apples with a delicious hint of cinnamon.

I was thinking of making an apple crisp to go with dinner on Sunday but ended up baking this low-fat pear crisp from Cooking Light magazine. Soon cinnamon-spiced pears were baking under a crunchy streusel topping with this easy dessert. We both agreed that it was a perfect fall treat.

A nice thing about this recipe is that you can assemble the dish ahead of time, and put it in the oven when guests arrive. Or it can be baked earlier in the day and served at room temperature when you're ready for it.

We left the snow behind and headed to California for a long weekend of fun. We shoppedm toured wineries, tasted olive oil, met up with good friends, and ate some wonderful food. I can't wait for slow bowl 2009.